We are all familiar with popular sports like football and wrestling, but there are also strange sports that until we see them, we do not believe such competitions are held in the world. Join Zhinmag at the end of this article to introduce you to 25 weirdest sports in the World! Some of which are very interesting and some of which are silly and funny.
Exercise is as old as human history. According to the paintings left on the walls of the caves, sports and racing date back to more than 3000 BC. Combined sports, now known as the new sports of the world, have been finding their own fans for many years and even holding world competitions in these disciplines.
Depending on the taste of some people, some people consider these sports to be the most interesting sports in the world and some people consider them to be the strangest sports in the world. In any case, getting acquainted with these sports is not without merit, and today we want to introduce you to the weirdest sports in the world.
25 Weirdest Sports in The World + pictures
There are sports in the world that are sometimes created by combining other sports, and sometimes they themselves are considered a strange and new sport. But there are some sports that are really weird.
Throughout history, people have always been looking for activities to entertain themselves, among which sports have played an important role. In some countries, they hold strange and special sports competitions that may seem funny at first glance. In this section, we introduce 25 sports competitions that may be considered the weirdest sports in the World.
1- Bog Snorkelling
- First played: 1976, Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales, United Kingdom
- Team members: no
- Mixed-sex: Yes, but in separate leagues
- Venue: Water-filled trench cut through a peat bog
This sport event is a 120-yard (approximately 110-meter) swimming competition in a ravine in the middle of a meadow or swamp ground. In this sport, you are only allowed to walk and there are no normal swimming movements. Competitors must wear snorkels, mask and flippers. They have to compete without using the movements that are done in normal swimming and only relying on the power flipper.
The sport began in 1976, and since 1985 its annual championship has been held in Wales. The men’s world record for this race stands at one minute and 18.23 seconds by Neil Rutter in 2018. In 2014, Kirsty Johnson set women’s world record with a time of 1 minute and 22.56 seconds.
2- Bossaball
- First played: 2005, in Belgium, Spain
- Team members: 3 to 5 players
- Mixed-sex: –
- Venue: more than 20 countries
And now another of the weirdest sports in the world, Bossaball! It is a combination of volleyball, football and gymnastics with Brazilian music, capoeira and coastal culture. The game, which originated in Spain, was first played in 2005.
In Bossaball, two four-person teams compete on inflatable court that a trampoline placed on either side of the net.
Filip Eyckmans, a former Belgian tennis player who became interested in football, invented the game after traveling to Brazil and living in Spain. He wanted to portray Brazil’s coastal climate with sporting elegance and physical skills. Currently, basketball is played in more than 20 countries on 4 continents.
The starting player is placed in the middle of the field and throws the ball towards the opposing team. The opposing team must return the ball in less than 5 strokes. If the ball lands in the opponent’s court, a point is given to the attacking team. The team that reaches 25 points in three sets earlier will win the game.
3- Cheese Rolling
- First played: 15th century, Cooper’s Hill, near Gloucester in England
- Team members: no
- Mixed-sex: separate events helds for men and women
- Venue: more than 20 countries
This small local event in Gloucester, England has gained international fame for its high speed, severity and number of injuries. This game, that is one of the weirdest sports in the world, was first played in the fifteenth century and has simple rules. Participants follow a 7–9 pounds (3–4 kilograms) round of Double Gloucester cheese that rolls down the hill, and the first person to reach down and grab the cheese wins.
3 to 4 kilograms of cheese rolling down from the top of Cooper’s Hill can reach speeds of up to 112 kilometers per hour. This annual event was held at the end of May for local village of Brockworth people only. But now people from all over the world are participating in this competition.
4- Dog surfing
- First played: 1920s, California and Hawaii, United States
- Team members: –
- Mixed-sex: –
- Venue: various coastal areas of the United States such as Del Mar, California, Imperial Beach, California and Jupiter, Florida
Dog surfing began in the 1920s in California and Hawaii and became a popular pastime. In this competition, dogs are trained to surf on surfboards or bodyboards and can ride alone or with their owners on the board.
Some surfing dogs have become stars and have appeared in movies, TV shows, magazines and newspapers. Dogs were so good at surfing that humans decided to run competitions and judge their skills based on balance, wave size and wavelength.
5- Egg Throwing
- First played: 1322, Swaton
- Team members: –
- Mixed-sex: –
- Venue: –
This sport is another one of the weirdest sports in the world that first played 10 1322 in Swaton. According to the World Egg Throwing Federation, the game began in the 14th century. The English monk was the only person in the village who had a chicken. He gave the people one egg to encourage them to attend church. When the floodwaters prevented people from attending church, the monks threw eggs at them, and the game took shape.
Since then, people from all over the world have been competing in the egg-throwing contest for fun, show off and cash prizes. In 1978, a Texas man set a world record by throwing 98.51 meters. This record did not break until 1999. In the same year, Guinness stopped recording. Currently, the World Egg Throwing Federation sets world records. The longest current distance is 71.2 meters, which was registered in 2013 in the name of 2 Irish.
6- Extreme Ironing
- First played: 1980, near Settle in the Yorkshire Dales National Park in England
- Team members: conducted solo or by groups
- Mixed-sex: –
- Venue: –
Originally from Yorkshire Dale National Park, England, this latest danger sport was first practiced in the 1980s. This game is played individually or as a team, and is considered to be partly an art of performance and partly an adventure, because people iron their shirts in different places such as forest, canoe, in the middle of a street, underwater and in silly ways.
The idea came when a British man, influenced by his brother, who ironed clothes on camping trips, decided to iron clothes in strange places, such as the airport, on telephone booths, and on top of a mountain. What was initially just a joke became very popular with the making of a documentary about the first World Ironing Championship in difficult conditions. Ironing in harsh conditions has given rise to other bizarre ideas, such as playing cello in extreme conditions.
7- Slap Fighting
- First played: 2018, Russia
- Team members: no
- Mixed-sex: separate events helds for men and women
- Venue: –
Slapping is nothing new, but the Slap Fighting is a new and strange phenomenon. This competition originates from Russia and was held for the first time in 2018. In this competition, two men or women take turns slapping each other until one of them surrenders or falls to the ground.
8- Fierljeppen or polsstokverspringen
- First played: 1771, West Frisian people in the Dutch province of Friesland
- Team members: no
- Mixed-sex: –
- Venue: –
Some of the weirdest sports in the world are formed by chance or by necessity or both. Far Leaping, Fierljeppen or polsstokverspringen is also one of these sports. The Netherlands is lower than sea level and has many waterways. The people of Friesland in the Netherlands used this method to cross waterways.
In 1771, they turned this method of crossing canals into an informal competition. Nearly 200 years later, the sport was organized and championships, leagues and clubs were formed. Today, thanks to international tourism, the sport has spread beyond the borders of the Netherlands.
9- Giant Pumpkin Kayaking
- First played: 1999, Nova Scotia, Canada
- Team members: no
- Mixed-sex: –
- Venue: Lake Pesaquid in Windsor, Nova Scotia
The sport originated in the province of Nova Scotia in Canada and was first performed in 1999. You need a giant pumpkin and a kayak paddle to do that. First you have to empty the inside of the 450 kg pumpkin. Then you have to throw the pumpkin into the water to make sure it floats. Finally, you ride a pumpkin and paddle.
Pumpkin kayaking requires practice and is not an easy task. In addition to Nova Scotia, the tournament has been held in the US states of Vermont, Oregon and Maine.
10- Buzkashi
- First played: between the 10th and 15th centuries, Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan
- Team members: 10 to 12 people
- Mixed-sex: –
- Venue:
Buzkashi is the national sport of Afghanistan and one of the weirdest sports in the world, which was first practiced in the 10th to 15th centuries AD. Equestrian teams of 10 to 12 people compete in large areas of two football fields to grab the carcasses of 50 kg goats or calves. The goal is to place the goat carcass in Kazan or the gate of the opposing team.
Nomadic Turks moving westward from China and Mongolia invented Buzkashi as a pastime for herdsmen around the 10th century. Today, their descendants are the main players in this game. The Taliban banned the game during their rule because it was immoral, but the sport re-emerged after the overthrow of the Taliban in 2001.
11- Kabaddi
- First played: 1923, Indian subcontinent and other surrounding Asian countries
- Team members: seven players
- Mixed-sex: there are separate competitions for male and female
- Venue:
The origin of Kabaddi is India and it was first performed in 1923. This sport is a combination of wrestling, Tag and breath-taking. Some claim that the Buddha also played this game for fun!
In this game, 2 teams of 7 people compete with each other. The attacking player must touch the players of the opposing team in one breath as much as he can.
Kabaddi is a national sport of Bangladesh and Nepal and is taught in schools at an early age. Kabaddi popularity is so high in these countries that some kids dream of playing in the professional league and its big competitions.
12- Lawn mower racing
- First played: 1963, Indiana, United States
- Team members: no
- Mixed-sex: No
- Venue: the United States, united kingdom, North Carolina, Missouri, New Mexico, Australia
Lawnmower racing is one of the weirdest sports in the world that people of all ages can participate in and the speed of the participants reaches more than 48 kilometers per hour. This race has been a tradition in the United States for decades. In 1963, Indiana started the annual Fourth of July competition. North Carolina, Missouri and New Mexico also host regular competitions.
Lawn mower racing is not only popular in the United States. Britain also held its first competition in 1968. The British Lawn Mower Association (BLMRA) was also formed in 1973 and has several speed or endurance racing clubs. Australia has also had a lawnmower competition since 1978, with its first national competition in 2009.
13- Man versus Horse Marathon
- First played: 1980, Llanwrtyd Wells, England
- Team members: no
- Mixed-sex: there are separate competitions for male and female
- Venue: Welsh town of Llanwrtyd Wells every June
In this marathon of 22 miles (35.39 km), man competes against the horse every year and often the horse wins. Of course, in the 35 races that have been held so far, 2 people have been able to surpass their four-legged opponent.
The first match took place in 1980 in Wales after an argument in a pub. The owner of the pub, Gordon Green, wanted to prove that long-distance human ability is equal to that of a horse. In the 25th edition of the competition in 2004, this claim was proven to be true, because for the first time a man on foot could defeat a horse. In Scotland and New Zealand, other marathons between humans and horses are held.
14- Kaninhoppning or Rabbit show jumping
- First played: early in the 1970s, Sweden
- Team members: no
- Mixed-sex: –
- Venue:
Rabbit show jumping, rabbit agility or rabbit hopping racing is one of the weirdest sports in the world. One day in the 1970s, some Swedes thought that if horses could compete in hurdles, so could rabbits. So they built rabbit hurdles, set rules, and held the first national championship in 1987.
The Swedish Federation of Rabbit Jumping (SKHRF) was formedestablished seven years later on September 3, 1994, and it was not long before Germany, Norway, Finland and even the United States established rabbit jumping clubs.
15– Sepak Takraw or Sepaktakraw
- First played: first was exhibited in Penang in 1945, was introduced in the 1965 Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur as a medal event, Malaysia
- Team members: 2, 3, or 4 players
- Mixed-sex: No
- Venue: Sepak Takraw court
Sepak Takraw also called kick volleyball means play volleyball without hands and touch the ball only with your legs, knees, chest and head. The sport began in Malaysia in the 15th century and is still popular in Malaysia and throughout Southeast Asia
16- Bo-Taoshi
- First played: Japan
- Team members: two teams, totaling 150 individuals
- Mixed-sex: –
- Venue: Japan National Defense Academy
The approximate translation of Batavashi is “Lower the wooden beam”. The Japanese military invented the game as a training exercise. The game is now being played at the Japan National Defense Academy.
In this game, 2 teams of 75 people compete with each other. Each team tries to take a wooden pole about 4 meters out of the opponent’s team and lower it to a 30 degree angle.
17- Shin Kicking
- First played: in the early 17th century, England
- Team members: no
- Mixed-sex: –
- Venue:
Originally from England, the sport was first practiced in 1612. As the name implies, competitors stand facing each other and hit each other on the leg. Winning this game depends on the correct timing and kicking to the right place of the opponent’s leg. By learning the right technique, anyone can become a professional in kicking a leg.
18- Toe Wrestling
- First played: 1974, Wetton, Staffordshire
- Team members: no
- Mixed-sex: –
- Venue: its birthplace The Royal Oak in Wetton
In 1974, four friends in Staffordshire, England, invented toe knuckles. One of these 4 people became the first champion and repeated this championship. however, in 1978, a Canadian visitor competed and won and the sport was closed. The sport is now being revived with the holding of the World Toe Wrestling Championship.
In addition to being the weirdest sports in the world, Toe Wrestling can also be considered as one of the most affordable new sports in the world. Because the tools you need, whether for training or competition, are just your feet. In this match, two opponents lock their bodies and feet and attempt to pin each other down with no time limit similar to arm wrestling.
19- Underwater hockey
- First played: 1954, Southsea, England
- Team members: up to 10 (6 in play)
- Mixed-sex: Yes
- Venue: Swimming pool
Underwater hockey (UWH), also known as Octopush started in 1954, when the founder of a diving club in England decided to entertain its members in the winter. In underwater hockey, participants hold their breath and try to direct the hockey ball towards the opponent’s goal on the floor of the pool.
In 1980, Canada hosted the first World Underwater Hockey Tournament. Interest in the game has spread to South Africa, Australia and the Philippines, and it is now popular in many countries, including the Netherlands, New Zealand and the United States.
Would you like to travel to Dubai? The variety of exciting water sports in Dubai is so great that it covers every taste and all tourists can enjoy them with any level of skill they have in these exciting sports.
20- Unicycle Polo or Unicycle hockey
- First played: Unknown (first record: 1925 in the film Varieté)
- Team members: 5 players per side (plus substitutes)
- Mixed-sex: Allowed
- Venue: –
Another of the weirdest sports in the world that has been played for centuries, is Unicycle Polo or Unicycle hockey. The sport of Unicycle hockey is said to have begun in 1925 in Germany. Polo, horseback ball game, itself is an expensive sport because horses are expensive, but Unicycle Polo or Unicycle hockey is much cheaper. The biggest obstacles to playing this game are learning to ride a bike and finding land or parking as a playground. In this game, the same rules of polo are applied.
If you want to play another game with single wheels, you can go for single wheel hockey. You just have to use a hockey stick instead of a polo stick.
21- Urban Golf
- First played: Scotland
- Team members: no
- Mixed-sex: –
- Venue: –
The next item on the list of the strangest sports in the world is called Urban golf. Urban golf, like golf, started in Scotland hundreds of years ago. It is said that the first golf course outside the city was an inns in Edinburgh.
This game is similar to regular golf, except that you play it in an urban environment such as an industrial site, school or even the street. Players use standard golf clubs and try to aim tennis balls, squash or other non-destructive balls towards the targets. Only real golf balls are used when safety has been observed.
22- Zorbing
- First played: 1994, Stien Vermeiren, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand
- Team members: three riders
- Mixed-sex: Yes
- Venue: –
Zorbing, globe-riding, sphereing or orbing is one of the weirdest sports in the world that started in 1994 in New Zealand. It is the recreation or sport of rolling downhill inside an orb, typically made of transparent plastic.
Zorbing is generally done on a gentle slope, but it can also be done on a flat surface, allowing the rider to have more control. People are placed in a clear plastic enclosure and rolled down from the top of the hill. This game can also be played on water and smooth surfaces.
23- Wife-carrying
- First played: 1992, Finland
- Team members: Two person
- Mixed-sex: Yes
- Venue: –
In this competition, two-person teams, including a man and his wife, compete with each other, and the team that reaches the finish line sooner wins. Participants must cross 2 dry routes and 1 water route. The woman must weigh at least 49 kg, otherwise a weight will be added to her.
The World Wife-carrying Championships started in 1992 in Finland. The winner of this contest gets a beer equal to the weight of his wife. The tournament is now being held in the United States, Hong Kong, Estonia, the United Kingdom and Australia.
Several types of carrying may be practised: either a classic piggyback, a fireman’s carry (over the shoulder), or Estonian-style (wife upside-down on his back with her legs over the neck and shoulders).
24- Camel jumping
- First played: Since ancient times
- Team members: no
- Mixed-sex: –
- Venue: deserts of Yemen
Camel jumping is an athletic and an acrobatic sport ane one of the weirdest sports in the world that played only by the Zaraniq desert tribesmen. In fact, the challenge between the two Zaraniq tribesmen has given rise to this sport. In this ancient Yemeni sport, a group of camels are stacked together horizontally and players must clear them when jumping on. Players start off from a distance and sprint towards the camels to make the jump.
The professional players of the Zaraniq tribe in western Yemen try to jump over the largest number of camels possible as possible using their speed and power. The People’s Foundation for Ethics Against Animals (PETA) has not yet approved the sport.
25- Chess boxing or chessboxing
- First played: late 1970s, by Dutch performance artist Iepe Rubingh, first chessboxing competition took place in Berlin in 2003
- Team members: –
- Mixed-sex: –
- Venue:
This sport is the result of combining an intellectual game (chess) with an offensive sport (boxing). Both boxing and chess are played in a standard boxing ring. In this international sport, competitors compete in alternating rounds of chess and boxing.
what is your opinion?
Some of the weirdest sports in the world are exciting and interesting, and some are silly and funny. what do you think? Which of these exercises would you like to try?
